Box Score

ASHLAND, Wis. – Fueled by another well-rounded offensive performance, the University of Northwestern women's basketball upped its overall record to 13-5 after defeating Northland College 71-54 on Saturday afternoon. Chanel Madson (Westbrook, Minn./Westbrook-Walnut Grove) took home top scoring honors for her 23-point effort in the win, while three other UNW players each contributed double-digit point production in the contest.

The Eagles quickly got on the board and were up 2-0, thanks to Jacki Smith (Shoreview, Minn./Concordia Academy)'s close-range make 11 seconds into the matchup. The two squads hung close together for the next five minutes as each exchanged successful field goal attempts.

Queue the 14:18 mark and Northwestern began a 9-0 run off buckets from four different individuals to take a 18-11 advantage just 1:16 after the momentum began. Just as the visitors got acclimated to the lead the home team began its own mini-spurt and ran back to leave the board reading 19-20 nearly halfway into the first period.

The back and forth duel continued for until the final two minutes of action as UNW got the train rolling for another 7-0 run to cap off the first period and left the court for halftime with a 38-31 upper hand. Together, Madson and Smith combined for 26 of their team's 38 points in the first 20 minutes alone.

The Purple and Gold's momentum continued to roll as the second half kicked off. After an initial layup by Jessica Jaeckel, Jessica Fife (Maple Grove, Minn./Osseo) began a run of 10 unanswered points for the visiting team on the board. The lead would remain strong for the remainder of the contest, stretching out to 22 points with the clock reading 7:06.

The Eagles' final field goal game with 3:05 left in action, but thanks to the lead security UNW was able to withstand seven final Northland points and head off the game floor with a 71-54 final outcome.

Madson's scoring tally came off of a .500 mark from beyond the arc, while Smith, Mollie Sir (Cresco, Iowa/Crestwood), and Fife each chipped in double-digit totals in the win. As has continued to be a high point for the Eagles this season, rebounding was a successful area as the team totaled 49 in comparison to their opponents' 38.

Northwestern (13-5 overall, 5-2 Upper Midwest Athletic Conference) will now shift its focus to the second round of league play as it takes on North Central University at the Ericksen Center on Tuesday evening at 5:30 p.m. Both live stats and video will be available for the contest and can be found here.